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T. Junas (750)-Brill (750)
American Postal Chess NY-MA Invitational Team Match 1973 |
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Sicilian Defense
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Here's one of my best postal chess games, against a player of equal strength (note: the postal chess rating system of the day didn't correspond to the standard over-the-board rating system)— a very satisfying quick victory, theoretically—important because my theoretical innovation seemed to refute a then-popular gambit that had always seemed unsound to me. Games won by spectacular attacks always get the most attention, while the art of defense is often overlooked. This game is distinguished by the attacks and sacrifices my opponent never got a chance to make! I submitted the annotated game to The Chess Correspondent Magazine for their Game of the Year. They did publish it, but issued no award. |
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1. e4, c5; 2. d4, cd4; 3. c3, dxc3; White offers a pawn to speed up development and open lines. Does he get sufficient compensation? I didn't think so, and accepted the morsel. 4. Nxc3, Nc6; 5. Nf3, d6; 6. Bc4, e6; 7. 0-0, Nf6; 8. Qe2, a6; 9. Rd1, Qa5!? Until now, black played the main line as given in USCF senior master Ken Smith's book, Sicilian: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted. With the text move, considered inferior by Smith, Black prepares to play an opening innovation. After the standard 9...Qc7, 10. Bg5, White, according to Smith, gets compensation for his pawn. 10. Bg5, Nd7! |
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h the pawn (or the d-pawn hangs), weakening his king's position. Smith continues (after 10...Be7) with 11. Rac1, Ne5; 11. Bb3 After 11. Rac1, Nde5; 12. Nxe5, Nxe5; 13. Nd5?! exd5; 14. exd5, f6! 15. Bd2, Qd8; 16. f4, Bg4; 17. Qe4, Bxd1; 18. fxe5, fxe5; 19. Rxd1, Be7; 20.Rf1, Rf6; 21. Bd3 (Frankle-Brill, Atlantic Open, NY, 1973), Qd7; White does not have sufficient compensation for his sacrificed mateial. 11...Nde5; 12. Nxe5, Nxe5; 13. f4!? h6! 14. Bh4 Black is attaining the strategic goals of his innovation. He has already traded off a pair of knights without, as in Smith's line, getting doubled pawns. He has prevented the board from opening up so that White hasn't been able to capitalize on his lead in development and develop an attack. Now, after driving away White's black-squared bishop, Black intends to complete his development and castle, remaining a pawn up. 14. fxe5? hxg5; gives black the open h-file, e.g., 15. exd6, Qe5; 16. g3, Bxd6 with a positional and material superiority for Black. 14... Ng6; 15. Bg3, Be7; 16. f5, Ne5; 17. Rac1 17. fxe6, Bxe6; 18. Bxe6, fxe6; 19. Qh5+, g6; 20. Qh3, Kf7! leads to a won endgame for Black. 17...0-0; 18. Qh5?! ef5! 19. Nd5 White goes down fighting. If 19. exf5, Bg5 and 20...Bxf5 wins. 19...Bg5; 20. Rc7, f4! Winning the bishop due to the threat of 21...Bg4, trapping the Queen. 21. h3, fxg3; White resigns. |